


Hidden Nightmares

by ilovemygaydad



Category: Sander Sides, Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: abuse cw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-03 18:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12753855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilovemygaydad/pseuds/ilovemygaydad
Summary: Thanks to my girlfriend for the idea!Roman is the perfect student, but his family isn’t so supportive of his endeavors.





	Hidden Nightmares

The crashes and slams rang in Roman’s mind as he ran down the streets in pouring rain. The only light he had were the occasional orange street lamps, but those were barely any help in the pitch blackness. It was impossible to tell tears from raindrops on his face anymore. He didn’t really care; he just needed to get to Virgil.

Roman’s first pounded on his best friend’s door. He clawed desperately at his coat, trying so hard to disappear into a void of nothing. His split lip didn’t seem to be bleeding anymore, but it was impossible to tell.

Finally, Virgil swung the door open. The teen reeled back at the horrific sight of his broken best friend. Roman lost it; his knees gave way, and he ended up in a sobbing heap on the front stoop. Verge immediately got to work.

“Holy shit, dude. Okay, um, I’m going to carry you to my room.” Roman managed a small nod as he was gently scooped off the cement and into the warm house. He hadn’t even realized he was shivering until he was wrapped in a dozen towels and blankets.

Once Roman had fully calmed down, Virgil sat next to him, softly rubbing circles in his back. “What happened?” Virgil’s voice was soft and smooth, though Ro knew there was only going to be icy anger in it after he explained.

“I, um… I came out to my parents,” Roman slowly stated, unsure how to perfectly explain. “And it was worse than usual. I would’ve expected some sort of blatant ‘you’re a disgrace to this family,’ but not… this.” He gestured to his face. A bruise was blooming on his cheek and mouth, and blood had trailed from his lips.

“Fuck, man,” Verge breathed. Roman was incredibly successful in both his studies and extracurriculars—he always had been—but his parents had never been very appreciative of him. His bed time stories were being told he was a failure, and his “I love you”s were replaced with disgusted eye rolls. This was a whole new problem, though.

“I just—Nobody can find out, Virgil. This is my cross to bear. I need you to teach me how to do makeup,” Roman begged helplessly, his eyes full of so much sorrow it was impossible to refuse.

“Alright. Come here; I’ll teach you the basics, and then we can watch some YouTube videos to help you with the more advanced stuff.” Virgil was wholeheartedly reluctant to do this; everything in his gut was telling him to call the police and protect Roman. But deep down he knew he couldn’t do anything. He was just a kid. So he did his best.

The next day, Roman came to school looking better than ever. He was a natural at makeup—better than Virgil, who had been doing it for years. His steady hands led way to perfectly applied eyeliner, and he expertly knew how to use a beauty blender. There wasn’t even a smudge to his liquid lipstick.

“You look absolutely wonderful, Roman,” Logan complimented as he walked up to the group. Patton excitedly agreed, pointing out all of the amazing things he saw. But Virgil… He hid behind a fake smile, knowing all too well what was behind the strategic concealer.

After a few months, Virgil began to forget about the abusive parents. The memory was stored in the back of his mind, replaced instead with proudness at Roman. He’d gotten the lead in yet another play, and he looked happier than ever.

It was a particularly hot day when the façade fell apart. The four friends went out for lunch, a typical outing for a Saturday. Roman absently rolled up his sleeves a bit to relieve some of his heat.

“Roman… That is a particularly large bruise on your arm. Wait, is that another bruise on your collarbone?” Logan’s voice was laced with worry. He moved his hand over to further inspect the bruises when Virgil stepped between the two.

“He got in a fight!” Verge exclaimed, rushing to find something to make up. “He got in a fight… to protect… me. There were some bullies that were trying to beat me up for my dark edgy persona, and he stepped in.”

“As much as I know Roman would do anything for us, that’s a bit of a stretch,” Patton worried, rubbing the ends of his cardigan sleeves on his cheeks to calm him down.

“Roman, please take off your jacket.” Logan’s request was more of a command, but Roman aggressively shook his head and took a step away.

“It’s nothing. Really, guys, you’re getting all worked up over nothing.” His words were rushed, and he knew he wasn’t hiding it well.

“Roman, please. We just want to make sure you’re okay,” Patton begged.

And then it all. Broke. Down.

Roman completely lost it in the restaraunt, crying and sputtering and spilling all of the months of abuse to his friends. They stared at him in shock, horrified by all of the things they’d neglected to see. But they vowed to stay by Roman’s side from now on. He wouldn’t go back to his house unless he had to; he was always welcome to sleep over at their houses if need be.

And Roman was finally loved.


End file.
